Decision Making

May 20, 2003 Updated September 24, 2006 - Sid Galloway
Above all, pray humbly & continually!

Recently I’ve had a number of students, friends, and family tell me that God spoke to them through impressions, visions, feelings, and coincidental circumstances. I won’t share any of these individuals' “impressions” since they are personal to them, but I believe you would be surprised at the content of many. What they don’t realize is that many of their revelations contradict not only each other, but Scripture as well. Unaware of this, they remain convinced that they now know God’s direction for their life, through these subjective, conflicting experiences. I too once believed and made decisions in similar ways. However, I’m now convinced, by Scripture, that there is a better way.

Over the past 25 years of counseling families, churches, and even many well known pastors, both locally and nationally, it’s become clear that there may be a need to voice a further caution about current claims of personal, direct, extra-biblical revelation. Many of these same people, in private counseling, have admitted that they have never been certain about when or if their impressions were really from God. This uncertainty existed in their hearts, even though they and many of their friends regularly used phrases like, “God told me”, “The Lord spoke to me”, or “I feel like God is leading me to BLANK”.

Far too often today, Christians are embracing and teaching unbiblical, mystical, and subjective methods for discerning God's will and making important decisions. Many of these methods are more akin to Eastern religions and new age philosophy than God's counsel in Scripture. Not only does a mystical method of trying to discern God's will lead to uncertainty, but even when sincerely used, such phrases make it hard for friends and accountability partners to challenge a questionable impression. Please think about it. When a person says that his or her decision came directly from God, such a claim in effect tells others that they cannot question its legitimacy, practicality, or biblical harmony.

Often, our own impressions lead to lives of hyperactive ministry and workaholism, where quantity swallows up quality of life and intimacy of relationships. This is the way of our culture, not the way of God. Yet modern churches have absorbed the cultural ways as uncritically as one person yawning spreads until the whole room is full of contagious yawners. Doesn’t God tell us in Scripture to emphasize time to know Him and one another? Doesn’t it tell us to meditate on His Word and His World (real “critical thinking”)? Over the past two decades, I’ve counseled far too many pastors, church staff members, and Christian ministry workers who have followed impressions until their frantically busy lives and families became fragmented and frustrated, rather than close and contented.

Please carefully examine Scripture to answer the following question. Surely the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts of selfish sin, judgment, and righteousness, but:
Does He give extra-biblical revelation?

Prior to the completion of God’s written Word (Greek term, the Graphae), the Lord spoke miraculously to specific individuals in history, and these events are recorded for us in Scripture. Adam, Abraham, Moses, the prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles all received God’s Word in a direct, personal, and special manner. All of these were instrumental in delivering the Scripture, the Bible, that is, God’s Word to us. In the days of Israel before Christ came, God gave His people certain methods that no modern church believes we are to use today, such as casting lots, or using the Urim and Thumim. Those methods were given by God for a specific time and a specific purpose. Similarly, God gave new, direct revelation about His Word and His Will, through His Holy Spirit and His angels, during the time when written Scripture was being delivered by God to His people (Moses, David with the Psalms, Solomon with Proverbs, the Old Testament prophets, Jesus, the apostles, and the New Testament authors).

Different sections of Scripture are given for different purposes. Some are historical recording the past, some are prophetic foretelling the future, and others are didactic instruction for current life.

For example, the Gospels are the historical record of Jesus’ ministry, while Acts is the historical record of the Apostles’ ministry, and the Revelation is mostly a prediction of the last of the last days. The Epistles, however, are the specific and particular guide book for the church, the Body of believers, that is, you and me today. This begs an important question. Do the Epistles teach us to feel for impressions or look for mystically coincidental circumstances to discern God’s will and Word for our decisions and directions? Please think carefully and biblically about this modern mystical method of discerning God’s will and His Word for making decisions. Remember the Reformation. It centered on correcting the great errors and abuses that resulted from years of following extra-biblical revelation in the institutionalized traditions of the Roman Church/State. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) was the heart cry of the reformers, who were tortured and killed for their strong stand on objective, written Scripture alone as God’s only Word to us.

The Epistles (letters) to us believers in the Church (built on the foundation stones of the Apostles), give us a much more sure and peaceful way to discern, objectively, God’s will, Word, and direction for our lives (1 Peter 1:1-21). One reason some folks shy away from the biblical method given in the Epistles is because it requires time, effort, study - that is, homework. When I've described these biblical principles for "biblical" discernment to some folks in counseling, many have responded with reactions like, "But that would take too much time studying Scripture". Yes, and the Epistles do command us to study Scriptural principles for marriage, financial management, parenting, leadership, witnessing, etc, and then to apply them to our current circumstances. This takes a lot of time and work that our fast-food, subjective, and experiential culture is not conditioned to do.

The biblical way is not easy, but it is more sure and more worthy of your trust and practice. Instead of wondering whether some inner impression is intuition or indigestion, our loving Father has written a sufficient Scripture filled with profoundly practical principles that are applicable to any situation. We don’t have to search like a scavenger hunt for one and only one specific direction from God. When seeking a life direction or trying to make a major decision, we often find many possible options. Which one is the best? Is there one best decision? God’s principles often allow for many different godly, biblical choices for jobs, potential spouses, ministries, etc that do not violate any biblical mandates. Our loving Father promises to be with us as we pursue the burdens and desires of our hearts, so long as they do not violate his written, objective Word. This is good news. It brings peace and an exciting, joyful, adventure in service for Him and others.

Now, in the church age, the New Testament is clear about what method believers are to use to discern God's will and make decisions. Now that God's written, objective Word is complete ("The Bible"), believers are to prayerfully depend upon His written Scripture for this process. God's profoundly simple, church-age process can be understood, remembered, and applied using four simple terms:

Please remember, dependence upon God's Holy Spirit is equally as important as dependence upon God's Word, yet the role of the Holy Spirit in the church age is different than it was when He led men to write Scripture. Now, the Holy Spirit's role is to convict us of righteousness and sin (right and wrong), but He does not give us new, direct, detailed, and specific revelation to add to Scripture. He reminds us of biblical principles we have learned (if we took the time and effort to obey God and learn them). He also convicts us through our conscience, producing the awareness that certain desires are selfish, dishonoring to God, and destructive to others.

Please keep these foundational, cornerstone truths in mind as you read further, and especially as you seek to discern and decide for Jesus glory, others' benefit, and for your own J.O.Y. (Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last).

1. Prayer - James 1:2-8
True prayer is simply submitting, humbly to God, asking Him to rule over you and guide you (Matt 6:9-12). Yet, according to Scripture, prayer is not the method for us to hear Him speak to us. The biblical way to hear from God, now that Scripture is complete, is to study His objective, written Word. I understand that it is hard work to learn God’s principles from His Word. Sadly that is why so many preachers, today, mistakenly tell people to listen for God’s voice through subjective feelings and coincidences, instead of searching and applying His objective Word. James 1:2-8 clearly teaches that in difficult situations ("Providential Pressures"), we should already know the answer to the "Why?" question. God's purpose for the trials is to use them to make us more broken, yielded to His Spirit's rule, and therefore more Christ-like. If, after settling our hearts in that foundational truth, we need more knowledge about "How" to respond to the trials for His glory and the blessing of others, then we should ask for wisdom to discern His practical principles for wise application.

2. Principles - Psalm 119:105
To discern, learn and apply God's practical principles, we must search His Word diligently and systematically, to discover what He says about the subjects that relate to the decision we are trying to make. We must see if any clear commands are given that say “do” or “don’t” make a particular decision. As you study God’s Word on a subject, you will often discover that there are many allowable (biblical) choices you can make regarding a particular situation. Then you simply need to examine the evidence to discern which of the allowable decisions are “best” (wisest). The best, are the decisions that will first of all glorify God, second meet the biblical needs of others, and last of all produce the fruit of the Spirit in you. (Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last.) Often wise counsel from experts (Bible experts, legal experts, financial experts, medical professionals, etc.) can help you understand which of the allowable choices would be best for a particular situation.

Is my decision based on careful thinking about God's Word, or merely human reasoning, or a strong feeling, or some other person's opinion?
(Eph 4:17; Col 2:8; 2 Ti 2:15-4:10)

3. Providence - Proverbs 16:9; Psa 41:13; Romans 8:28-29
Knowing that God is in control, good, and wise will give you peace, if you truly trust Him and submissively desire His will rather than your own. The hard thing for all of us is that most of the time we are double-minded and so we doubt. But peace will grow stronger, the more we trust God’s sovereign orchestration of events. If He allows circumstances that make a certain choice impossible, then you can be sure that such a choice is out for you. For example, if a person wondered if it was OK, allowable, for her to marry a particular Christian man, and then that man died or married another woman, then she can be certain that God’s providence removed that choice for her. But remember, circumstances that make a particular choice unpleasant do not necessarily mean that God is saying no to that choice. An unpleasant choice might still be a possible one, and even the best choice, if God’s principles show it to be the right choice.

4. Practice - Philippians 4:4-13
The more we walk with the Lord (Isaiah 41:13), trusting Him and eagerly saying, “Not my will, but Thy will be done”, then the more we will learn how to best apply His Word to the circumstances He allows in our lives. Romans 5, James 1, and Luke 9:23-26 make it clear that God’s Way Home is the Way of the Cross (His and ours). His cross paid the penalty for our rebellion. Our cross, that we are now to take up daily, is our cross of circumstances. We often must deny our own desires in order to do what God's Word says we and those around us really need. For example, when you have to say “No” to your children and sufficiently punish them for bad behavior, you are embracing the cross of parenthood. Some parents selfishly and rebelliously refuse to sacrificially embrace the time, effort, and conflict that is required to truly train up their children to be strong, honest, trustworthy young adults.

One final set of principles must always be considered, that is the short and long term effects of your decisions, and the potential deceptions. Man's way promises quick relief from trials and struggle.

	Man's Way (Flesh)	God's Way (Spirit)
Short-Term Promises	Man's way promises: If you follow your feelings above God's Word, then you'll escape pain, get pleasure, and quickly change the circumstances around you. (Gen 3) Beware of placing relief above God's Will. Remember Jesus' prayer: "Father, . . . not my will, but Thy will be done".	God's Way promises: If you follow God's facts, deny your desires and feelings if they contradict God's Word, and take up your cross for His glory, then you will change and grow. Sometimes circumstances change quickly, like when you choose to have surgery to relieve pain, but that is not promised by God. God promises that you will begin to grow in His character (unselfish love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). (Luke 9:23-26; Rom 12:1-3; 1 Cor 10:13; Gal 5:22-25)
Long-Term Consequences	Down the road, you will reap what you sow. And if you have refused to follow God's will in His Word, then guilt, separation from God, fear, confusion, depression, and addiction to idols will be the result. Remember, since the world's pleasures never satisfy, they will enslave (John 8; Rom 6; 1 John 2). (See the article: "The Painful Pursuit of Pleasure")	Scripture says that when you continue to follow God's Way, your intimacy with God will continue to increase, as will your blessings, forgiveness, peace, joy, self-control, freedom . . . . The fruit of God's Spirit (Gal 2:20; 4:19; 5:22-25).

Finally, if you're still very unsure of your decision, then seek the guidance of an abundance of counselors (mature elders who know Scripture well, and who reflect Christ's image).
(Prov 11:14; Heb 13:7; 1 Pet 5:5)

** If you're a wife, the best place to start for advice is your husband, before your pastor (1 Cor 14:33). Pray and trust God to use your husband, even if he hasn't been studying Scripture or following God. As you walk with your husband through trials, he won't see you as his enemy, even if his decisions don't work out well. Why not? Because you will have been his cheerleader, not his nagging coach. By the way, if you nag him into doing what you think is best, and your way turns out to fail, then he will be tempted to blame you. If his way fails, then he won't have you to blame, and will only have God to argue with. Let God convict him, while you love him and show him you're his supportive helpmeet. That doesn't mean you always agree with him, merely that you are committed to walk with him, under the delegated authority God gave him as a husband. My wife, Linda, was such a good cheerleader when we first got married, that it encouraged me to trust God, study Scripture, and lead our home.

** Your family should seek discipleship counseling from their own church, whenever possible, because your pastors and members know you and your needs best. Going to another church or worse to a paid professional (hireling) is not God's design. Trust God to use the structure and strategy He has commanded us to build and use, that is the local church. If your church is not equipped to help you, then ask them to see many of the training materials and organizations we offer and recommend on our website (http://www.soulcare.org).

- Decisions, Decisions, by Dave Swavely (2003). Dave's book is an excellent resource for everyone, especially in a day when wise, biblical discernment has been replaced by subjective feelings. This book is both biblical and practical, and it is simple to understand and apply.

- Led by the Spirit, by Jim Elliff (2002). This little book is an excellent tool for objectively rather than subjectively discerning the will of God as you make decisions in your everyday life. Christian Communicators Worldwide, 816-453-6903]

- Found: God's Will, by John MacArthur. John's gift for concisely conveying our Father's profoundly simply counsel has produces one of the easiest books on decision making to read, understand, and apply.